JUST ONE MORE DAY... (H.S)

24

The next day dawned bright and sunny, the kind of weather that made everything seem just a little bit more hopeful. Jennie, Ben, Harry, and I had a quiet breakfast, each of us lost in our thoughts about the upcoming lunch. There was a mixture of anticipation and anxiety in the air, but we all knew that we had to make the best of it.

Around noon, we piled into Ben’s car and headed toward the hotel where Sunny and Maria were staying. The drive was filled with light chatter, but I could tell Jennie was nervous. Ben kept glancing over at her, offering her reassuring smiles and squeezing her hand whenever he could.

As we arrived at the hotel’s restaurant, Sunny and Maria were already seated at a table near the window, which had a stunning view of the city skyline. They greeted us with warm smiles, and after a round of hugs and hellos, we all settled in.

Sunny took charge of the conversation almost immediately, asking about everyone’s plans for the day, how we had slept, and what we thought of the city. She was the picture of a doting mother, her enthusiasm filling the room. Maria, meanwhile, seemed more relaxed than she had been the night before, though she still had that sharp, observant look in her eyes.

As we waited for our food, the conversation turned into Jennie’s childhood. It started innocuously enough, with Sunny reminiscing about Jennie’s early love for art.

“Jennie was always drawing on everything she could get her hands on,” Sunny said with a fond smile. “I remember once when she was about four, she found a permanent marker and decided the living room wall was her canvas. It took us weeks to get it cleaned off!”

We all laughed, but Jennie’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Mom, do you have to tell that story every time?”

“Oh, but it’s one of my favorites!” Sunny said, reaching into her purse. “And speaking of favorites…”

She pulled out a small photo album, and Jennie’s eyes widened in horror. “Mom, no!”

“Come on, Jen, you know I always carry this with me. It’s a tradition!” Sunny flipped open the album to the first page, which was filled with photos of a very young Jennie in various stages of artistic exploration—paint-covered hands, a crayon masterpiece on the kitchen floor, and a particularly memorable shot of Jennie wearing a homemade paper hat.

“Look at this one,” Sunny said, pointing to a picture of Jennie in a frilly pink dress, her hair done up in pigtails. “This was at her first school play. She was so nervous that she forgot all her lines, but she still managed to steal the show with that adorable smile.”

Ben leaned over to get a better look at the photo, grinning from ear to ear. “Wow, Jennie, you were adorable! I can’t believe you forgot your lines. That’s so cute.”

Jennie groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Can we please not do this right now?”

“Oh, come on, Jennie,” Maria teased, nudging her sister. “This is payback for all the times you embarrassed me in front of my friends. Besides, these are priceless memories.”

Sunny continued flipping through the album, much to Jennie’s dismay. There were photos of birthday parties, family vacations, and holidays, each one accompanied by a story that seemed designed to make Jennie cringe. Ben was clearly enjoying every minute of it, especially when Sunny reached a page with a photo of Jennie dressed up as a flower for Halloween.

“This was Jennie’s idea,” Sunny explained, her voice full of amusement. “She insisted on being a flower, and she wanted us to go as a garden. So her father and I dressed up as a gardener and a watering can. We were the hit of the neighborhood!”

Ben burst out laughing, almost spilling his drink. “A watering can? I would’ve loved to see that!”

Jennie glared at him, though there was a hint of a smile tugging at her lips. “Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. It was cute when I was five, okay?”

Harry, who had been quietly enjoying the show, leaned in with a grin. “I think it’s great. You had a lot of personality even back then.”

Jennie sighed, finally giving in to the inevitable. “Okay, fine, maybe it was kind of cute. But that doesn’t mean you all get to tease me about it for the rest of my life.”

“Oh, we wouldn’t dream of it,” Maria said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “But I’m definitely saving some of these stories for your wedding day.”

Jennie rolled her eyes, but she was smiling now, the tension of the previous night finally starting to dissipate. It was clear that, despite her embarrassment, she was happy to be surrounded by the people she loved.

As the meal went on, the conversation shifted to more recent events—Our art classes, Ben’s k-pop, Harry’s recent journey here. Sunny was genuinely interested in hearing about all of it, and even Maria seemed impressed by some of the things we were working on.

Eventually, the time came to say goodbye. Sunny and Maria had a long journey back home, and we all needed some rest after the whirlwind of emotions over the past 24 hours. We offered to drive them back to their hotel, and they gratefully accepted.

The car ride back was quieter than before, but it was a comfortable silence, filled with the kind of contentment that comes from spending time with loved ones. As we pulled up to the hotel, Sunny turned to us with a warm smile.

“Thank you all for a wonderful day,” she said. “It was so nice to see how happy Jennie is here, surrounded by such good friends. I’m really glad we came.”

“We’re glad you came too, Mom,” Jennie replied, leaning over to give her a hug. “Drive safely, okay?”

“We will,” Sunny promised, giving us all a final wave as she and Maria stepped out of the car. “Take care, everyone, and we’ll see you soon.”

We watched them disappear into the hotel, and then Ben started the car again, driving us back home. As we settled in for the night, there was a sense of relief that the day had gone so well, despite the rocky start.

“Goodnight, everyone,” Jennie said as she was heading into my room pretty tired. “Thanks for being there today. I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime, Baby,” Ben replied, giving her a quick hug. “We’re all in this together, remember?”

“Yeah,” she said with a smile. “We are.”

And with that, we all went to bed, ready to face whatever came next—together.

AN: Hey, Thank you for reading. If you find any mistakes please do let me know. Comment your thoughts. TPWK 😇